Bench for pottery molds



Fume 20, 1933., B. H. GREENE BENCH FOR POTTERY MOLDS Filed Sept. 24, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATTORNEYS NSE .lune 20, 1933. 13l H, GREENE 1,914,740

BENCH FOR POTTERY MoLDs Filed Sept. 24, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 un 1W: L

'l Hyg jHree/ze I N VEN TOR /0 Nez/Mg A TTORNE YS June 20, 1933. B H, GREENE 1,914,740

BENCH FOR POTTERY vMOLDS Filed Sept. 24, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 5.

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/5 i k 3/ of? 20 L A /0 30 f2 24 3/ /f/' Vl ,1 :Ji 4v,25 25 ,9 1\ 5 T1] o 26a/Q i g /4 l /7 lull 1w nu 27 27 :eraf-vi f-'U 26 e ,LL 1 z [C Emi f; f3' V9 26 T \;ff 25 l He/w INVENTOR A TTORNE YS Patented `lume 20, 1933 liltflitll PATEN QFFCE IBARTHOLOMEW H. GREENE, F SEBRING, OHIO BENCH FOR POTTERY MOLDS Application led September 24, 1931.

The invention relates to benches for supporting molds such as are used for molding various pottery articles from slip, and more particularly to a bench adapted to be easily and quickly operated.

In manufacturing clay articles from slip, molds having the contour of the article to be formed are lled with the slip, which is a solution of about the consistency of milk.

The molds to be filled are placed in a row upon a bench and the workman pours the slip from a container into the molds. After standing the required length of time, which permits the slip to form a plastic coating upon the interiorl surface of the mold, the surplus slip is poured from the molds and they are placed in inverted position upon the bench so that all of the surplus liquid slip may drain therefrom. When the molded articles Within the molds have been sufficiently dried, they may be removed from the molds.

Many of the molds used for making clay articles are large and heavy, and under present practice, they are manually lifted from the bench and inverted as above described, requiring considerable effort on the part of the workman handling the same.

The object of the present improvement is 3o to provide a bench in which the molds may be held in upright position to permit the slip to be poured therein and so constructed that the molds may be automatically moved to invertedposition to drain the surplus slip therefrom.

A further object is to provide means for supporting two sets of molds upon the improved bench so that one set may be draining, while the other set is being lilled.

individually clamping each set of molds upon the benchL so that the molds in either set may be released to permit t-he molded articles to be removed therefrom.

A still further obj ect of the improvement is to provide means for easily and readily pouring the slip into the molds.

rlhe above and other objects which will be hereinafter described or which will be obvious from an examination of the accom- Another object is to provide means for Serial No. 564,806.

panying drawings and the following detail description may be attained by constructing the improved bench in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improved bench;

Fig. 2, an end elevation of the same;

Fig. 3, an enlarged fragmentary elevation of the friction stop means for holding the bench in adjusted position;

Fig. 4e, an enlarged sectional elevation taken as on the line 4 4, Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5, an enlarged transverse section taken as on the line 5 5, Fig. 1.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts 65 throughout the drawings.

The bench is adapted to be supported upon a frame, including the ,5r-frames 10, forming the end members of the frame and rigidly held in spaced relation as by the track members 11, at their upper ends, the shelf 1Q, at their central portions, and the shelf 13 at their lower portions.

A shaft 14E is located longitudinally through the frame, at a suitable height to accommodate a workman standing in front of the same as will loe later described, said shaft being journaled at its ends in suitable bearings 15, carried by the A-frames 10, and arranged to support the rotatable structure which carries the molds.

A metal plate 16 is fixed upon each end portion of the shaft, inside of the A-frames 10, said plates being preferably oblong as best ,S5 shown in dotted lines in Figure 5.

For the purpose of providing seats for supporting the molds, angle irons or the like, as shown at 17 are mounted in spaced pairs connected to plates near their side edges, said angle irons being preferably adjustably connected to the plates as by the screws 18, and slots 19, in order to provide for supporting molds of different sizes.

Blocks 2() are slidably mounted upon the angle irons 17, adjacent to the plates 16, said blocks extending upward and downward considerably beyond the upper and lower .edges of the plates and being preferably of the height and width substantially equal to that of the molds to be carried upon the bench.

The blocks 20 are arranged to be adjusted longitudinally, upon the angle irons 17, by the adjusting screws 21, threaded within the plates 16 and provided with any suitable means, such as the handwheels 22, for rotating said screws.

The molds, shown generally at 23, may be of any usual and well known construction, and are adapted to be mounted upon the angle irons 17, between the blocks 20, as best shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, the screws 21 being tightened, forcing the blocks 2O to ward each other to tightly clamp the molds between said blocks.

As shown in the drawings, two sets of molds may be accommodated, one set being normally located above the shaft in position for pouring, while the other set of molds is located in inverted position beneath the shaft in position for draining of surplus slip therefrom.

In order to assist in supporting the molds in inverted position, angle irons 24 or the like, may be provided for engaging over the outer corners of the molds, each angle iron 24 being adapted for clampingengagement with all of the molds of a set. These angle irons are necessarily removably mounted for movement laterally of the shaft 14 in order to permit the removal of the molds. For this purpose, each of the angle irons 24, is carried upon links 25, hingedly connected as at 26, to brackets or the like 27, which may be carried by the inner angle irons 17.

In order to provide for tightly clamping the angle irons 24, upon the molds, these angle irons may be slidably mounted upon the links 25, as by the pins 28, on the angle irons, located through elongated slots 29, in the links, and cams 30 may be mounted upon the outer end portions of the links 25, for forcing the angle irons downward into contact with the molds.

In order to compensate for any unevenness or slight variations in the molds, springs 31, or the like, may be interposed between the cams and the angle irons 24. The cams 30, upon each side of the apparatus may be connected together, as by the links 32, and one of the cams may be provided with a handle 33, whereby all of the cams operating upon each angle iron may be simultaneously moved to either the clamping or unclamping position.

In order to normally hold the hinged links 25 in position against the sides of the molds, while permitting the same to be swung downward upon their hinges to remove the molds, a spring member 35 may be connected to the central hinged link 25 on one side of the structure, asindicated at 36 and provided at its other end with an eye or loop 37 adapted to detachably engage the opposite hinged link 25.

A carriage 39, may be mounted upon the rails 11, for supporting a container 40, which holds a supply of slip. An outlet pipe 41 extends downward from the container 40 between the rails 11 and a hose 42 may be connected thereto, said hose being of sufficient length to permit the operator to fill the upper row of molds therefrom.

A valve 43 may be provided for controlling the iow of slip from the container` through the hose and for the purpose of moving the carriage upon the track in order to reach all of the molds, a. handle 44 may extend downward from the carriage in suitable position to be grasped by the operator.

The tracks 11 may extend beyond one end frame as shown at 46, and as the uprights of the said side frame 10 are not joined at their upper ends, the carriage 39 may be moved onto the portion 46 of the track, the pipe 41 and hose 42 thereof passing between the uprights of said end frame. In this position the container 40 may be filled or the container and carriage as a unit may be easily removed from, or replaced upon the track if desired.

For the purpose of receiving the surplus slip which drains from the molds, one or more pans or the like, as shown at 47, may

be placed upon the lower shelf 13 in position to receive the slip as it drains from the lowermost or inverted row of molds.

For the purpose of temporarily holding the shaft 14 stationary with either set of molds in position for pouring the slip therein, and the other set in position to drain the excess slip i therefrom, as shown in Figure 1, the shaft may have a disk 48 fixed upon one end portion thereof, and provided with diametrically opposite notches 49, adapted to alternately engage the lug 50 upon the spring arm 51, which is connected at one end to the adjacent end frame.

In operating the apparatus, the molds are clamped in position as shown in the drawings, and by means of the container 40, and hose 42, slip is poured into each mold in the upper row.

After the slip has been poured, it is a1- lowed to stand in the molds for the usual time necessary to form a coat-ing of the desired thickness around the interior ofthe mold cavity as indicated at C in Figure 4. The remainder of the slip being in liquid form as indicated at D in said figure. The shaft 14, then rotated one-half a revolution inverting the upper row of molds and moving them beneath the shaft, permitting the excess slip to drain therefrom, leaving the molded article C therein. The other row of molds being the uppermost, may be filled and the shaft again given a one-half revolution, reversing the position of the molds.

The spring 35 on the upper side of the shaft may then be disengaged and the upper cams 30 may be released so that the hinged l links 25 carrying the upper angle irons 24 may be swung outward upon their hinges, permitting the upper molds to be opened and the molded articles removed therefrom. rlhe molds may then be again clamped in position as above described, and refilled with slip and the operation is continued.

I claim:

l. A bench for molding, including a rotatable structure, means for holding tivo oppositely disposed sets of molds upon said rotatable structure permitting one set of molds to be filled With slip While eXcess slip is draining from the other set of molds, means for rotating said structure to reverse the positions of said sets of molds, and independent means adapted for clamping engagement With all the molds of a set for detachably clamping each set of molds upon said rotatable structure.

2. A bench for molding, including a rotatable structure, means for holding molds in upright position upon said rotatable structure to permit the filling of the molds with slip, means for rotating the structure to invert the molds to permit excess slip to drain therefrom, and detachable clamping means adapted for clamping engagement with all the molds for clamping said molds upon said rotatable structure.

3. A bench for molding, including a frame, a shaft journaled in the frame, spaced plates fixed upon the shaft, angle irons connected at their ends to said plates and adapted to support molds thereon, means for clamping the molds against movement relative to the shaft and means permitting rotation of the shaft to change the position of the molds.

4. A bench for molding, including a frame, a shaft journaled in the frame, spaced plates carried by the shaft, seats carried by said plates and adapted to receive oppositely disposed molds, clamping means movable laterally of the shaft for holding` molds upon the seats and means permitting rotation of the shaft to reverse the positions of the molds.

5. A bench for molding, including a frame, a shaft journaled in the frame, spaced plates carried by the shaft, seats carried by said plates and adapted to receive oppositely disposed molds, clamping means movable laterally of the shaft for holding molds upon the seats, means permitting rotation of the shaft to reverse the positions of the molds, and means for holding the shaft against rotation With either mold in upright position.

6. A bench for molding, including a frame, a shaft journaled in the frame, spaced plates carried by the shaft, seats carried by said plates and adapted to receive oppositely disposed molds, links hingedly connected to the seats and angle irons carried by the links and adapted to engage the molds to hold them upon the seats.

7. A bench for molding, including a frame, a shaft liournaled in the frame, spaced plates carried by the shaft, seats carried by said plates and adapted to receive. oppositely disposed molds, links hingedly connected t0 the seats, angle irons carried by the links and adapted to engage the molds to hold them upon the seats, and means for holding the shaft against rotation With either mold in upright position.

8. A bench for molding, including a frame, a shaft journaled in the frame, spaced ilates carried by the shaft, seats carried by said plates and adapted to receive oppositely disposed molds, links hingedly connected to the seats, angle irons adjust-ably mounted upon the links and cam means for engaging the angle irons with the molds to hold them upon the seats.

9. A bench for molding, including a frame, a shaft journaled in the frame, spaced plates carried by the shaft, seats Carried by said plates and adapted to receive oppositely disposed molds, links hingedly connected to the seats, angle irons adjustably mounted upon the links, cam means for engaging the angle irons With the molds to hold them upon the seats, and means for holding the shaft against rotation With either mold in upright position.

ln testimony that 1 claim the above, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

BARTHOLOMEVV H. GREENE. 

